District



E. ASCHENBACH. DIE 0R IMPLEMENT USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPARK PLUGS.

APPLICAIION FILED MAR.3,19!9.

Patented May 25, 1920.

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ERNEST ASCI-IENBAGI-I, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DIE OR IMPLEMENT USED IN MANUFACTURE OF SPARK-PLUGS.

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Application filed March 23,

To all whom it may co a rm Be it known that I, Ennns'r AsoimNBAoI-I, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dies or Implements Used in the Manufacture of Spark-Plugs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of spark-plugs, but more particularly to a die or implement for positioning the lower gasket within and upon a spark-plug insulator, and for slightly crimping the edge of the tubular portion of the spark-plug gland so that the gasket and insulator will be properly centered and will not drop out of the gland during subsequent handling of the same and during the final and effective spinning of the gland on the seat of the spark-plug-shell.

In spark-plugs constructed and assembled in accordance with U. S. Patent No. 1260884, patented March 26th, 1918, in which a thin tubular gland is spun over a gasket and upon the insulator by threading the gland into the spark-plug-shell, the tubular gland engaging a shoulder, spins the tubular gland in close conformity to said shoulder so as to provide a close gas-tight joint between the tubular gland and the shoulder in the shell, a more perfect centering of the insulator and gasket in the gland is effected and the assembly facilitated. if the gasket is pressed into position, and the extreme edge of the tubular gland slightly crimped inwardly sufficient to prevent the gasket and insulator from dropping out of the gland.

It is to be understood that the effect of this die or implement on the tubular gland is not to cause a spinning of the gland down upon the gasket to form a tight joint between the gland and the gasket, nor is it to be understood that the effect of this die or implement on the tubular gland is to form the gland so as to conform to the seat in the spark plug shell, as the spinning of the gland so as to cause same to conform to the seat in the shell is accomplished during the assembly of the plug and in the man- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 280,361.

ner as shown and described in the U. S. patent heretofore referred to. The sole object of the invention, therefore, is to so position the parts as to facilitate the subsequent assembly and the spinning of the gland upon the seat of the spark-plug-shell.

The invention therefore consists in the novel construction of the die or implement, holding the gasket, and for slightly crimp ing the edge of the tubular gland inwardly a sufiicient distance to hold the gasket and insulator from falling out of the gland.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the die or implement, illustrating the same in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modification.

Like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the two figures in which:

1 indicates the die or implement, the same being shaped to enter and form part of a reciprocating ram (not shown), the body 2 being shouldered at 3, and reduced at a to.

enter the ram, the lower portion 5 being preferably tapered at 6.

In Fig. 1, the body 1, is centrally bored at 7, centrally shouldered at 8, and provided with a relatively smaller lower bore 9. The upper portion 10 of the bore '7 is threaded to receive a threaded plug 12, while the bore or chamber 7 receives a spiral compression spring 13, the tension of which spring is regulated by the plug 12.

141 indicates a thimble having a flanged top 15 to engage and be stopped by the shoulder 8 in the shell or body, the lower portion of said thimble normally extending below the bottom of the shell of body 2, the wall of said lower portion of the thimble being reduced in thickness at 16 and slightly flared at 16 forming a shoulder 17 of sub stantially 15 degrees. The flanged top 15 of the thimble receives the spring 13, and is centrally apertured at 18 to receive the threaded stem 19 of an internal thimble 20. Around said stem 19 and bearing against the top of the thimble 1i and against the top 21 of the thimble 20 is a relatively small spiral compression spring 22 while a nut 23 on the stem 19 regulates the tension of said spring 22. The bottom edge of the internal thimble 20 is beveled inwardly at about 415 degrees, as shown.

The diameter of the outer thimble 1 1 is such as to allow the thimble a free sliding movement within the shell or body 2, while the diameter of the internal thimble 20 is such as to permit of a free sliding move ment of same within the outer thimble 14:, as will be apparent from an inspection of the accompanying drawing.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the shell or body 2 is itself shouldered at 24, resulting in an enlarged internal diameter at the lower end 25, which is slightly flared at 26. The thimble 27 slides freely within the bore 28 of the shell or body 2, and is provided with a threaded stem 29 passed through an aperture 30 in the top 31 of the shell or body 2. A spiral compression spring 32 disposed around the stem 29 bears against the under side of the top 31 and upon the shoulder of the thimble 27. The tension of the spring 32 is regulated by a nut 34 on the stem 29, said nut being locked by a jam-nut 35. 7

Having thus described the several parts of this invention, its operation is as follows: The spark-plug gland (6, having a thin tubular portion 6, and the insulator 0 and gasket 6 are centered under the die 1. Upon the down stroke of the ram (not shown), the internal thimble 20, Fig. 1 or the thimble 27, Fig. 2 engages the gasket 0, and presses the gasket with resilient pressure down upon the insulator 0. Further downward movement of the die causes the shoulder 17 (Fig. 1,) or the shoulder 24: (Fig. 2) to en gage the extreme edge f of the tubular portion .7) of the gland a and slightly crimps said extreme edge inwardly to such extent that the insulator c and gasket 6 are prevented from dropping out of the gland dur ing subsequent handling of the same or durin final assembly of the spark-plug.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A die for the purpose (:lescribed including an outer thimble, an inner thi'mble operable within the outer thimble, and having a deep chamber therein to loosely receive the inner end of a spark plug insulation, the lower edge of the inner thimble being shaped for and adapted to engage a gasket on a spark plug insulator within said chamber in the inner thimble, means for resiliently mounting said inner thimble to impart resilient pressure on said gasket, the outer thirnble having an internal shoulder adjacent the said edge of the said inner thimble for engagement with the edge of the tubular portion of a spark plug gland to crimp said edge inwardly and over said gasket.

2. A die for positioning a gasket on a spark-plug insulator and for crimping inwardly the edge of the tubular portion of a spark-plug gland over said gasket, including a resiliently mounted inner thimble for engagement with a gasket on a spark-plug insulator to impart resilient pressure thereon, and an outer resiliently mounted thimble for engagement with the edge of the tubular portion of the sparkplug gland to crimp said edge inwardly and over said gasket.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST AsoHENBAon. I Witnesses C. B. GRAHAM, Geo. F. GRAHAM. 

